Split support frame for circular knitting machines

ABSTRACT

A split leg support frame for the knitting elements and fabric take-up mechanism of a circular knitting machine, in which the supporting legs comprise upper gear box sections and lower spacer sections. The spacer sections are readily replaceable by corresponding sections of greater or lesser vertical dimension to accommodate take-up mechanisms of varying heights beneath the outer ring of the machine. The gear box section is readily removable from the machine for replacement or reconstruction.

United States Patent n91 Renda et al.

[5 SPLIT SUPPORT FRAME FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES [75] Inventors: Philip Renda, Brentwood; Lawrence Rozett, Flushing, both of NY.

' [73] Assignee: The Singer Company, New York,

22 Filed: Sept. 17, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 398,026

{52] US. Cl .l 66/8, 66/151, 66/56 [51] Int. Cl D04b 9/00 [58] Field of Search 66/56, 8, 149,19, 66

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,232,079 2/1966 Levine et a1. 66/56 UX 3,425,241 2/1969 Planck 66/8 3,491,556 1/1970 Mishcon 66/19 3,590,599 7/1971 Ricart 66/8 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Lancashire, J. B., New Variable Speed Drive Camber Jan. 14, 1975 Mark IV, In Knitted Outerwear Times, 38643: p. 34-35, Oct. 20, 1969.

Primary Examiner-W. C. Reynolds Assistant Examiner-Andrew M. Falik Attorney, Agent, or FirmRobert E. Smith; Edward L. Bell; William V. Ebs

[57] ABSTRACT A split leg support frame for the knitting elements and fabric take-up mechanism of a circular knitting machine, in which the supporting legs comprise upper gear box sections and lower spacer sections. The

spacer sections are readily replaceable by'corresponding sections of greater or lesser vertical dimension to accommodate take-up mechanisms of varying heights beneath the outer ring of the machine. The gear box section is readily removable from the machine for replacement or reconstruction.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENIEDJAN l 4l975 sum 1 or 2 PATENTED 3. 859 .822

SHEEI 2 [1F 2 VIIIIII/Il SPLIT SUPPORT FRAME FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Support frames for circular knitting machines in which a plurality of circumferentially spaced non-drive and drive leg members support the outer ring and knitting elements of the machine have been known heretofore. Such leg members were generally maintained in place upon a base leg tie. In such instances it was conventional to position a spider element beneath the flange'of the base leg tie and to secure the legs to the spider. A fabric take-up mechanism was rotatably supported by the spider element. Alternatively, the leg members were maintained in fixed spatial relationship by a take-up table positioned at an intermediate vertical location.

Support frames previously employed incorporated leg members which were formed in one piece. Such leg members were thus fabricated to a specified predeterminedlength. The drive legs were provided with gear boxes having the necessary reduction gearing,'clutches, electrical drive mechanism controls and switches to drive the cylinder gearring or the cam box ring depending upon which of the knitting elements were to be rotated relative to the other of such elements. The nondrive leg members customarily supported gearing and shafts necessary to effectuate manual rotation of selected knitting elements by means of hand wheels or levers. The non-drive leg members were also generally provided with stop and start control buttons for motor operation.

The problem associated with the support frames hereinbefore described was principally one of inflexibility of design. Specifically, once leg members of a particular size were incorporated in the frame the capacity of the machine in respect of the maximum size of fabric take-up mechanism utilizable was correspondingly fixed. When a larger take-up mechanism was to be substituted in order to accommodate larger size fabric rolls it was necessary to resort to the use of-spaced blocks which were inserted between the legs and the base leg tie or between the legs and the outer ring. Although this expedient thus permitted some flexibility, the interposition of such spacer blocks produced an unfavorable appearance and also introduced a degree of instability into the structure frequently occasioning increased machine vibration. Another problem with support frames employed heretofore was that since the gear box was an integral part of each leg, due to the overall size of the legs it was not possible to fabricate the gear box on small size machine tools. Furthermore, when the gear box required reconstruction or replacement it was necessary to remove the entire leg and to store reserve legs for such occasions.

Still another disadvantage of earlier support frames was the need for cumbersome shrouds or shields in order to protect machine operators from the drive mechanisms. Such shrouds, when removed from the legs to provide access for maintenance or repair, occupied substantial floor area within the knitting room during the servicing period. In production areas where space is at a premium the temporary storage of shrouds constituted an inconvenience, a safety hazard and an impairment of production efficiency.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is one object of the invention to provide a support frame for a circular knitting machine in which the gear box may be readily removed for repair or replacement of same or elements associated therewith.

It is another object of this invention to provide a support frame for a circular knitting machine having improved flexibility in respect of the sizes of fabric takeup mechanisms which can be accommodated.

, According to the present invention there is provided said take-up mechanism, the lower sections of said leg members being replaceable by corresponding lower sections of different'height in order to provide required vertical clearance between said outer ring and the takeup mechanism support means for take-up mechanisms of various heights.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS v In order that the invention may be more fully comprehended it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the support frame of the invention;

FIG. 2 is'a side elevational view-of a non-drive leg, partly in'section, with the upper and lower sections of the leg separated;

FIG, 3 is a side elevational view of a drive leg, partly in section and partly broken away, with the upper and lower sections of the leg separated; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a typical joint between the. upper and lower sections of one of the legs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings there is shown a support frame 10 for a circular knitting machine 11 which is depicted in phantom since the details of such machine are not relevant to an understanding of this invention. The support frame is illustrated as having two non-drive legs 12 and a single drive leg 13. The legsv are secured, as by bolts 14, to the upper surface of a base leg tie 15. Also secured to the base leg tie is a spider element 16 adapted tosupport a fabric take-up mechanism which may be of conventional construction and which is shown as including a yoke 40 for rotatably supporting a shaft 41 upon which fabric 17 may be accumulated. As shown, the spider element is provided with a suitable bearing 18 to rotatably support the takeup mechanism through stub shaft 42 affixed to bracket 40.

It will be observed thata flange 19 is provided adjacent the top of each of the legs for support of the outer ring 20 of the knitting machine. Positioned atop the outer ring are the knitting elements of the machine which are rotatably driven by meansof gearing indicated generally by 21 mounted in the drive leg. As will be appreciated, leg 13 has been designated a drive leg because the motor drive for the knitting machine is associated with such leg. The remaining legs 12 are designated as non-drive legs owing to the absence of any provision for motor drive on such legs. However, as can be seen from FIG. 2, the non-drive legs are customarily furnished with gearing 22 and a hand-operable shaft 23 to permit themanual rotation of the knitting elements whenever so desired as when minor adjustments in the knitting elements may be necessary.

As shown more clearly byFlGS. 2 and 3, each of the legs is' constructed in two sections, i.e., an upper gear box section 24 and a lower spacer section 25. The sections may be readily assembled or disassembled by providing appropriate fastening means such as bolts 26. The base of lower section 25 is secured to the circumferentially extending base leg tie preferably by bolts 14 (not FIG. 2). Any suitable fastening means may be employed to secure the outer ring to the flanges 19. v The upper section 24 of each leg member is hollow and dimensioned to house gearing which drives the knitting elements of the machine as through shaft 50, gear 51, and a gear ring 52 shown bolted to a needle cylinder 53. The gearing associated with the drive leg of the machine comprises one or more series of reducing and drive'gears 27 which are designed to lower the speed from approximately 2,000 RPM at the motor drive shaft to approximately RPM at the needle cylinder or cam section of the knitting machine. Preferably, the motor drive unit 28 is mounted on the lower section of the drive leg. An intermediate reduction gear 29 may be also carried by the lower section of the drive leg although it is within the concept of the invention to locate the motor and/or intermediate reduction gearing on either section of the leg member as may be desired. The gear box of all the leg members contains one or more bushings and bearings such as 30 for rotatably supporting the gear shafts. Covers, 31 are positioned over the open tops of the gear boxes to permit ready access tothe drive gears located within the gear box. A shaft 32 extends from each of the gear boxes on the non-drive leg members and has affixed thereto a handwheel or the like (not shown) to facilitate manual operation of the drive gears the rewithin when desired. Drive leg 13 has mounted on the upper section the final reduction gearing and drive gear which is operably connected to the motor drive unit 28. Preferably the drive leg is formed with an integral housing 33 adapted to serve as a protective cover for the motor drive and associated elements. The housing is desirably part of each of the upper and lower sections of the drive leg and is provided with at least one hinged door 34 which may be pivoted to make the drive mechanism accessible for maintenance and repair. As will be recognized by persons skilled in the art, the drive leg may also serve to mount the electrical drive mechanism controls, switches, clutches and'other related devices for machine operation. The non-drive legs may be provided with stop and start control buttons for motor operation.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a support frame has been provided whereby an upper or lower section of either a drive or non-drive leg member may be removed when so desired. Thus, when a larger takeup mechanism is to be utilized than originally contemplated and the leg members already integrated into the support frame are not of sufficient length to afford the necessary clearance between the outer ring and the spider element, the lower section of each leg may be replaced with a corresponding section of the required length. Such substitution does not interfere with the stability of the machine and does not lead to increased vibration of the machine. When the gear box or elements thereof constituting a section of one of the leg members requires factory repair the entire gear box may be readily removed for replacement without the need for replacement of the entire legmember. Further, as previously stated, due to the substantially reduced size and weight of the gear boxes employed in the support frame of this invention it is now possible to fabricate or repair the gear box, particularly where machining operations are to be performed, on small size machine tools. This capability did not exist with the support frames heretofore available.

it will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, arrangements of parts, and operating conditions which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principles and scope of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what is claimed herein is:

l. A split leg'support frame for the knitting elements and fabric take-up mechanism of a circular knitting machine including an outer ring, comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced non-drive and drive leg members, each of said leg members being formed by an upper gear box section adapted to support the outer ring of the machine and a lower spacer section separable therefrom, said leg members being positioned radially to accommodate said fabric take-up mechanism therebetween, and means associated with said leg members for supporting said take-up mechanism, the lower sections of said leg members being replaceable by corresponding lower sections'of different height in order to provide required vertical clearance between said outer ring and take-up mechanism support means for take-up mechanisms of various heights.

2. A support frame according to claim 1, wherein a base leg tie is provided as support for said leg members and for the take-up mechanism, said lower section being secured between said base leg tie and said gear box section.

3. A support frame according to claim 2, wherein motor drive means are mounted on the lower section of said drive leg member and gear drive means are positioned within the gear box section thereof.

4. A support frame according to claim 3, wherein intermediate reduction gearing is mounted on said lower section of the drive leg member.

5. A support frame according to claim 3, wherein at least one of said non-drive leg members is provided with a hollow interior dimensioned to house gear drive means adapted to permit manual rotation of the knitting elements of the'machine.

6. A support frame according to claim 5, wherein reduction gearing is mounted on the upper section of said drive leg, the drive leg is constructed to cover said reduction gearing and associated 'drive elements, and the drive leg includes at least one pivotable cover to permit ready access to drive means therein. 

1. A split leg support frame for the knitting elements and fabric take-up mechanism of a circular knitting machine including an outer ring, comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced non-drive and drive leg members, each of said leg members being formed by an upper gear box section adapted to support the outer ring of the machine and a lower spacer section separable therefrom, said leg members being positioned radially to accommodate said fabric take-up mechanism therebetween, and means associated with said leg members for supporting said take-up mechanism, the lower sections of said leg members being replaceable by corresponding lower sections of different height in order to provide required vertical clearance between said outer ring and take-up mechanism support means for take-up mechanisms of various heights.
 2. A support frame according to claim 1, wherein a base leg tie is provided as support for said leg members and for the take-up mechanism, said lower section being secured between said base leg tie and said gear box section.
 3. A support frame according to claim 2, wherein motor drive means are mounted on the lower section of said drive leg member and gear drive means are positioned within the gear box section thereof.
 4. A support frame according to claim 3, wherein intermediate reduction gearing is mounted on said lower section of the drive leg member.
 5. A support frame according to claim 3, wherein at least one of said non-drive leg members is provided with a hollow interior dimensioned to house gear drive means adapted to permit manual rotation of the knitting elements of the machine.
 6. A support frame according to claim 5, wherein reduction gearing is mounted on the upper section of said drive leg, the drive leg is constructed to cover said reduction gearing and associated drive elements, and the drive leg includes at least one pivotable cover to permit ready access to drive means therein. 